Blackhawks' Brent Sopel To March In Chicago Gay Pride

Sunday's Chicago gay pride parade will
include a Chicago Cubs float and NHL player Brent Sopel, the Chicago
Tribune reported.

Previously, only retired sports figures
have marched in the parade, which runs down North Halsted Street in
Chicago's north side gay neighborhood known as Boystown.

Riding on the Chicago Cubs float will
be “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks.

The Cubs are the first Major League
Baseball team to have an openly gay owner. Laura Ricketts, a member
of the Ricketts family, whose members completed their purchase of the
sports landmark last year, is a prominent gay rights advocate.

And carrying the Stanley Cup for the
Chicago Blackhawks will be defenseman Brent Sopel. Sopel will be
marching in honor of Brendan Burke, the son of Toronto Maple Leafs
General Manager Brian Burke. Brendan Burke, who died in a car
accident in February, announced last year he's gay.

“Everyone has feelings and everyone
is a person,” Sopel, who'll march in the parade with his wife and
children, told the paper. “That's what we continue to promote to
our kids. I hope [the gay community] gets equality and what they're
looking for.”